


Ferris Wheel

by warriorofculture



Category: SpongeBob SquarePants (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27323071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warriorofculture/pseuds/warriorofculture
Summary: Squidward tries to have an enjoyable day by himself at the carnival
Relationships: SpongeBob SquarePants/Squidward Tentacles
Comments: 10
Kudos: 53





	Ferris Wheel

How did it come to this? he asked himself.

Well… he knew. He didn’t like it one bit, but he knew.

Earlier that day, he’d decided to take a little excursion for himself; nothing out of the ordinary, though it was a bit unusual for him. He’d wanted to get out of the house for a few hours and have some time to enjoy himself. What better way to do that than to go to the carnival?

It seemed like such a good idea at the time… oh, how he wished he could go back in time and just stay at home. He certainly wouldn’t have ended up in this mess, that was for sure.

His arrival at the carnival was harmless enough. After waiting in line for about twenty minutes, he purchased his ticket and was inside. There were a lot of people there, naturally, but he was sure he could avoid them if he kept to himself. But what could he do first? There were so many various attractions at the carnival: rides, games, activities, food… the possibilities were endless.

After a bit of aimless wandering, he spotted the carousel. He hadn’t been on one in many years, and it was an enjoyable ride to be on alone. When it was his turn, he sat on a large plastic seahorse and watched the carnival slowly spin by as the carousel turned. Indeed, it was rather fun, and he allowed himself a smile as he stepped off once the carousel stopped.

He tried other rides, played a few games and even went around a track in a go-kart. He won a small plush sea unicorn playing a ring toss game, and he tucked it under his arm as he munched on a funnel cake. Ordinarily, he’d stay away from greasy, overpriced food, but today, it was okay to splurge a little.

Once he finished eating, he pondered what he could do next… and that’s when he saw it.

The Ferris wheel.

And that’s when everything fell apart.

He’d waited in line, as usual, though a thought rose to his mind. Typically when riding a Ferris wheel, the seats were occupied by two people. He was alone. Surely they’d make an exception and let him sit by himself, right?

“Hi, Squidward!”

He cringed. The last voice he wanted to hear today, and, of course, he’d heard it. Maybe if he ignored it, it would go away.

“Are you waiting in line for the Ferris wheel, too?”

He blew out a sigh. The source of the voice stood right beside him, giving him a big, warm smile. “Yes, Spongebob, I’m waiting in line for the Ferris wheel,” he replied, clearly annoyed. “What’re you doing here, anyway?”

“I’m waiting in line, too.” Spongebob kept smiling.

“No, I mean, what are you doing _here_?”

“Oh, I always come to the carnival whenever it’s in town.”

“By yourself?”

“No, I go with Patrick. He’s gone to get some cotton candy, so I’m in line whilst he’s gone.”

“Of course.” Squidward rolled his eyes.

“So why are you here?”

He shrugged. “It’s our day off, right? I wanted to get out of the house for a bit.”

The movement caused Spongebob to notice the toy in his hand, and he gasped. “Squidward, is that a sea unicorn?”

“Huh?” Squidward looked down at the plush he still carried. “Um… well, yes.”

“Wow, did you get that from one of the games?”

“Er, yes.”

“Ooh, I know you’re good at lots of things, so that must’ve been easy to get.”

“Um…” Squidward recalled the difficulty he’d had trying to earn the plush, but decided it was better if his neighbour and co-worker was left in the dark. “R- Right, it was very easy,” he lied.

“Next!”

Squidward started. He didn’t realise he stood at the front of the line at this point, and an empty car on the Ferris wheel waited for him. He stepped forward and sat.

A fish approached him. “You alone?”

“Yes, but—”

“Get the next person!” The fish shouted.

Before he knew it, a yellow sponge was shoved into the seat on his right, and the metal protection bar was lowered and locked into place. He opened his mouth to protest, but the car shuddered as the wheel moved them forward and up.

Spongebob turned to him as they came to a stop. “Looks like we’re together on this ride, huh?”

Squidward sighed again. He should’ve known this would happen. Anytime he started to enjoy himself, Spongebob – usually accompanied by Patrick – would show up and ruin everything.

The wheel jerked to life, and they were sent up as the next set of passengers were loaded onto the car below them. Spongebob gazed about as they moved again, nearly putting them at the top of the wheel. Squidward kept quiet, hoping the ride would end quickly.

“Hey, there’s Patrick!” Spongebob pointed towards the food stalls. “Wow, he sure has a lot of cotton candy; I hope he doesn’t try eating it all at once.”

Squidward remained silent as the wheel moved again, causing them to stop at the peak.

Spongebob finally noticed the lack of responses and glanced at his neighbour. “Is everything okay, Squidward?”

The octopus shook his head. “I don’t want this,” he muttered.

“This?” Spongebob gave him a confused look.

The wheel moved backwards and down. “It’s nothing,” Squidward said.

“Do you not like being up this high? Are you afraid of heights?”

“That’s not it.”

“What is it, then?”

“I said it was nothing.”

“But you’re my best friend, Squidward; I want to help you.”

At the words “best friend”, Squidward shuddered. He never understood why Spongebob considered them to be so close, when he wanted to be as far away from the sea sponge as possible.

The wheel jerked to life again, and he yelped in surprise when he felt something touch his hand. When he looked down, he spotted a small yellow hand on top of his own, and he yanked his hand away as the wheel continued to move in a steady clockwise rotation.

Spongebob gazed at him with concern. “I only want to help, honest,” he insisted.

“If you want to help, you shouldn’t have gotten on this ride with me.”

“I couldn’t help that; they grabbed me and sat me down here without saying anything.”

Squidward sighed yet again, watching the carnival as the view changed with the movement of the wheel.

Spongebob kept his gaze on Squidward for several more moments, then looked down. “It’s me, isn’t it?” he murmured.

“Hmm?”

“I’m the reason you’re not happy.”

“You just now realised it?”

“Well, I- I mean…” Spongebob trailed off, uncertain how to continue.

Just as their car reached the peak again, the wheel shuddered to a stop. “Finally,” Squidward muttered. The sooner he could get off the Ferris wheel and away from Spongebob, the better.

Spongebob remained quiet.

The wheel didn’t move.

After a few moments, curiosity got the better of him, and Squidward looked down. Nobody was getting off the Ferris wheel. He looked around and spotted a group of fish near the wheel’s controls; they appeared to be talking to each other anxiously.

His eyes widened. “No,” he whispered.

“Hey, why aren’t we moving?” Spongebob also looked down. “What’s going on?”

Dread filled every fibre of his being as he replied, “…We’re stuck.”

“Stuck?” Spongebob looked at him again.

“The Ferris wheel is stuck,” Squidward explained. “Something caused a malfunction, and we can’t get off until they can fix it.”

Spongebob blinked, then looked down again. “So… we’re stuck here.”

“Yes.”

“…Oh.”

Squidward turned to him again. It was an unusually subdued response from his neighbour, who normally took everything in stride and was optimistic about even the direst of situations.

“Spongebob…?”

“Yeah?” He didn’t look up.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t sound like it.”

“Well, you just told me that I’m the reason why you’re unhappy, and now we’re stuck on this ride together. I… I don’t want to make you any more unhappy with me.”

“It’s not just that, I…” Squidward fought for the right words; unfortunately, none came to him.

“Attention, Ferris wheel passengers!” A voice called from below. The two looked down and spotted a fish speaking into a megaphone. “We’re experiencing a small malfunction, but please do not panic; we have the situation under control. Remain in your cars until we can get the wheel moving again.”

“How long are we gonna have to wait?” A person in another car shouted.

“Hopefully not long,” came the response.

“That’s a great answer,” Squidward muttered sarcastically.

The fish with the megaphone spoke to a second fish who stood nearby, then the two walked off towards the controls. “I guess that’s all the answers we’re gonna get,” Spongebob remarked.

“Unfortunately.” Squidward sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

Spongebob gazed into the distance again. “Wonder where Patrick went…”

“Probably somewhere to get more food,” Squidward replied.

“Probably.”

More silence.

Ordinarily, he’d be happy with no conversation, but at the same time, he’d started feeling a bit guilty for getting onto Spongebob’s case earlier. The sea sponge hadn’t done anything wrong, and it wasn’t his fault for them riding together. It was certainly not his fault for their current predicament, either.

“Spongebob…”

“Yes?”

“When was the last time you were on a Ferris wheel?”

“Um… yesterday, why?”

“Just wondered.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t remember.”

“You don’t?”

He gazed into the distance. “I've been on a Ferris wheel only once before in my life. It was many, many years ago, when my parents took me to a carnival when I was young. Strangely enough, I don't have any memories of the carnival itself, only the Ferris wheel ride. I'd wanted to go on it, but it looked big and scary... and yes, I was frightened. But I still wanted to go on it, since it also looked like it would be fun. Contradictory, I know.

“My father encouraged me to try it, and he said he'd go with me so I wouldn't be alone. We waited in line, and when it was our turn, we got on. The car wobbled as we sat - as Ferris wheel seats tend to do - and the bar was set before us. I was a bit surprised there were no seat belts, but as long as we stayed put, we wouldn't be in any danger.

“The car moved back and up, then stopped. Bewildered, I looked down and saw the wheel had moved just enough for the next people in line to get in the car below us. After a minute or two, the same thing happened. Before long, we sat at the summit of the wheel, not moving. We had a bird's-eye view of the entire carnival. 'Isn't it a lovely view?' my father asked me. I didn't pay attention right away; my hands gripped the bar as hard as they could. We were extremely high above the ground, all alone in the world. It was... quite terrifying. I thought for sure we'd plummet to our deaths.

“But as we sat there, I realised the Ferris wheel was far too sturdy to allow us to fall, and we weren't alone in the world. I gazed out at the carnival spread before us, and as the wheel slowly began to turn without stopping, I realised the view was indeed quite beautiful.

“Around and around we went, perhaps five or six rotations. My father spoke to me here and there, but I was mesmerised by the scenery and the steady movement of the Ferris wheel. Much as I am loath to admit it, it was almost magical.

“Before long, the wheel came to a stop, leaving us roughly three cars from the bottom. After the other passengers disembarked, it was soon our turn, and the bar we'd held was lifted as we were signalled to exit. The ride was over, the spell broken. The entire thing might have taken fifteen minutes, but it was a timeless experience that has remained in my mind all these years later.”

Spongebob was speechless. Not only did Squidward open up to him and tell him something personal, he described it in such a picturesque way. His words painted a picture of his past, and the sea sponge could easily imagine the experience as if he were there instead of Squidward.

The octopus heaved a sigh, still not looking at him. “I know the story’s ridiculous, I just—”

“It’s not ridiculous at all.”

“It… isn’t?”

“No. In fact, it was a great story; it felt like I was there the whole time.” He paused. “To be honest, I’m glad you told me, Squidward.”

He finally turned his head to look at him again. “Y- You are?”

Spongebob nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I go to the carnival every time it’s in town, and I ride the rides, play games, eat food and have a great time. But I never really stopped to think about _why_ each ride and game is fun; I guess you could say I take it for granted. With the way you talked about the only other time you’ve been on a Ferris wheel, I could see exactly why you’d think it was magical… and I understood why I’ve always thought it was fun to ride.” He smiled again. “Thanks for sharing that story with me.”

Squidward felt heat rising in his face, and he averted his gaze as he mumbled, “You’re welcome.”

“Hey, look!” Spongebob pointed. “If you look carefully over there, you can see our houses.”

Squidward did as he was told, squinting into the distance. “Y- Yeah, I can see them.”

“It feels as though we could just fly from here and go all the way over there, huh?”

“Fly…?” He kept his gaze on the horizon. After a few moments, he realised it did feel as though he could zip right across the skies and fly right to his house. He could fly anywhere he wanted, anytime. He blinked, and he was aware of not only the Ferris wheel car, but the sea sponge seated beside him. Spongebob had unknowingly encouraged him to use his imagination to think he could accomplish the impossible.

“I guess it’s just me.” Spongebob’s voice broke into his thoughts. Apparently, he was unaware of his neighbour’s brief experience.

“No, I… I know what you mean.”

“You do?” Spongebob gazed up at him.

“Yes, it’s…. it’s hard to describe, but I understand what you were talking about. It does feel like we could fly all the way home from here, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah!” Spongebob grinned.

The two sat in silence for a few moments before Spongebob spoke up again. “You know, even though we’re stuck here, at the top of the Ferris wheel, I’ve really enjoyed it.”

“…What?” Squidward, who’d let his mind wander, focused on him.

“I mean it. Usually if we’re doing something together, you’re usually in a bad mood and get angry a lot. I try to keep a positive outlook and cheer you up, but…” He shrugged. “But today, we’ve just been talking and understanding each other a little better. And I like that a lot.”

Squidward gaped at him. Spongebob was usually never this open to him about how he felt regarding instances where they were stuck doing something together – usually involving work – but where he wanted to argue the point, he found he had nothing to say.

Instead, he turned his gaze away again as he muttered, “I… I’ve liked it, too.”

Spongebob’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Squidward nodded, not meeting his gaze.

“I’m glad.” Spongebob continued smiling.

The pair felt a jolt as the Ferris wheel came to life. They watched as the view gradually lowered as the other passengers exited, and before they knew it, their car was at ground level, the bar was raised, and two fish helped them up and off their seats.

“We’re very sorry for the inconvenience,” one of the fish apologised. “We normally don’t have that kind of problem with the ride.”

“It’s okay,” Spongebob replied cheerfully.

“If you’d like, we can give you some discount coupons for other rides, as well as free cotton candy.” The second fish held out some coupons.

“Thank you!” Spongebob accepted them. “We’ll be sure to use them.”

“We hope you continue to enjoy the carnival,” the first fish called as they walked away.

Spongebob turned to wave at them as he and Squidward continued walking. Once they were away from the ride, they stopped and faced each other.

“Um, well…” Spongebob dug the toe of his shoe into the ground as he put his hands behind his back and lowered his gaze. “What I said earlier… I meant it. I did enjoy our time together.”

Silence.

“I, er… I guess I’ll go—”

“Me too.”

“Huh?” Spongebob looked up at him.

Squidward’s expression was unreadable. “I said, me too.”

Spongebob’s mouth hung open. He wasn’t sure how to respond.

Before he knew it, a plush sea unicorn was thrust into his face. It took him a moment to remember it was the one Squidward had won and had tucked under his arm whilst they’d waited in line.

“H- Here, you can have it.”

“Are you sure?”

Squidward nodded, then turned his head away. “It… It’s a memento of th- the ride, the things we said.”

Spongebob’s eyes were huge as he carefully lifted the toy from Squidward’s hands. The material of the plush was surprisingly soft. “I’ll take great care of it,” he murmured, smoothing down the sea unicorn’s mane.

“I know you will,” came the mumbled response.

He returned his gaze to his neighbour, his co-worker, his best friend. “Squidward…”

“What?”

“Can we… do something like this again?”

Squidward finally turned back to him, giving him an incredulous look. “You mean, you want to get stuck on a Ferris wheel again?”

“No, I mean the conversation we had. You know, that… that feeling we had, sharing different things about ourselves with each other.”

Squidward was silent again, though he kept his gaze on Spongebob. After what felt like an eternity, he muttered, “Sure.”

“Really?” Hopefulness crept into Spongebob’s voice.

He shrugged. “Why not? We sometimes have downtime at work and can talk then.”

“I’d kind of hoped it wouldn’t be just at work.”

“Where, then?”

“Well…” Spongebob’s cheeks coloured as he studied the plush in his hands. “Maybe at a restaurant, or the museum, or Jellyfish Fields, or—”

“Wait, wait.” Squidward held up a hand. “Are you…” He paused. He couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “Are you trying to ask me out on a _date_?”

Spongebob tried to bury his face in the toy, but it was a rather small toy and his blush had spread and deepened in colour.

Squidward’s eyes widened. “Y… You _are_?”

Spongebob only managed a nod.

He couldn’t believe it. He really couldn’t believe it. After all the grief and stress and aggravation Spongebob caused him daily, no matter if it was at work, home or anywhere else, and he seriously just tried to ask him out for a date. Why? Sure, they’d had a pleasant conversation earlier, but…

There was that sensation, that freedom of flying far away from the carnival, towards a new tomorrow. What laid in store in that tomorrow, no one knew. But he didn’t have to fly alone. 

He slowly opened his mouth.

Spongebob looked up at him over the toy.

He only said one word.

“…Okay.”

Spongebob nearly dropped the toy in his astonishment. “R… R- Really?”

He managed a nod. “Tomorrow. After work.”

Spongebob’s eyes were so huge, he thought for sure they would pop out of his head. “A- A date? T- T- Tomorrow?”

Another nod.

“I’d love it!” Spongebob threw his arms around Squidward, who flinched at the contact but didn’t push him away. “Oh, thank you, Squidward, thank you.”

“Erm… sure.”

“I need to go find Patrick, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow night!” Spongebob grinned as he released him and took off at a jog.

Squidward watched his retreating back. It was still incredible to believe everything that had happened to lead up to that moment, but deep inside his heart, he, too, was looking forward to the following evening.


End file.
